The Congress has flayed the decision of Haryana Cabinet to abolish the Municipal Corporation of Ambala.
Kiran Choudhry, leader of the Haryana Congress legislature Party, on Sunday termed the decision as “retrograde, regressive and politically motivated which seeks to put the clock behind” and reflects the behind-times mindset of the Manohar lal Khattar Government.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the former Excise and Taxation Minister said civic bodies were generally upgraded, not downgraded, to provide people better civic amenities and more facilities.
For the first time in the country, the status of a city has been downgraded from corporation to a council which is a great setback for Ambala and its residents, she said.
The decision is not in the interest of the people of Ambala as claimed by the Government. It will be to their detriment and has been driven by the political consideration that the MC is being controlled by the Congress, something the BJP-led government could not digest, Choudhry added.
A day before, the Haryana Cabinet had decided to abolish the Ambala Municipal Corporation and replace it with two Municipal Councils.
Ambala City and Ambala Sadar will now have separate municipal councils.
Notably, local MlA and Health Minister Anil Vij was pushing for the councils in place of the existing corporation.
The separate municipal bodies for the Ambala City area and the Ambala Sadar area will prove to be more convenient for people of the Ambala Sadar area to avail various municipal services by reduction in time, distance and cost, the Government claimed.
Justifying the decision, the Government had also claimed that the continuation of the Municipal Corporation was also not “financially viable”.